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Black Market
Loremaster Perri's Note: The Pokédollar values given in this article are based on a rough approximate conversion rate of 100 Pokédollars = $0.90 USD. Black market dealers usually conduct business using local Regional currencies (in Monté, that would be the USD) and rarely with cross-Region Trainer money, as the flow and regulation of such is controlled by the League, and many of their patrons do not have access to Pokédollars, besides. The black market, in the context of Training, refers to the underground, non-League-sanctioned economy surrounding various facets of the profession. While illegal on paper, and some elements of black market trade will ''usually earn the League's ire when whiffs of it are caught (the sale of In-Coms and discontinued League products, for example), many other aspects are ignored, with the League and local law enforcement looking the other way unless they need to make an example of someone by stepping in and prosecuting. On the Circuit, making a black market purchase is often euphemistically referred to as having "caught a diglett" (because the pokémon is one who hides much of itself underground, just as this secretive economy does), and Battles in non-League venues are "diglett fights". Catching Diglett: What's for Sale? A variety of products are available for purchase on the black market, including: '''Old Pokéballs' Currently, only unused pokéballs manufactured in the year 2000 or later can be legally bought or sold, as they either already contain, or can be easily upgraded to contain, mandatory trackers that link to chips within modern Trainer Licenses (in the case of Balls from the earlier end of this time period, from 2000 to 2009 or so, they are only legal to sell if they've been appropriately and responsibly updated to meet modern standards). These trackers prevent the use of pokéballs by individuals engaging in Training illegally - they will not open when thrown, unless they receive a signal from the corresponding License (a signal that the Ball can only receive when within 100 feet of the License; this also serves as an anti-theft deterrent). Pokéballs, from an ethical shop, can only be sold to licensed Trainers, and are registered to the Trainer buying them upon purchase. Modern Pokéballs stolen before reaching retail, from off a truck or a cargo ship, for example, will also not open, as the secondary License signal is necessary to allow them to work. Older Balls manufactured before technology reached these levels, however, cannot run the current firmware, nor can they be manually upgraded to do so. This makes them a valuable black market commodity - not only for those who Battle and Train unlicensed, but also for legal Trainers who wish to keep a pokémon they don't want the League to have any record of them owning. Older retail Balls are also the only variety that can be used with portable Snag Machines, which adds to their immense value. Due to their status as contraband, the League will confiscate any Pokémon in an antique ball that an individual attempts to use on League property (such as Gyms and Stadiums) unless there is a legitimate and provable record associated with that Ball (the pokémon once belonged to your grandfather and you inherited it, for example, or that you caught it legitimately when such Balls were new and legally available; if a search of the Ball's serial number in the League database can prove these stories true, you're in the clear). Antique Balls with gutted innards (essentially, leaving just the outer shell of the Ball itself as a purely decorative item with no functionality left) are legal to buy and sell, and are a common collector item on sites like eBay. Related to this, only Apricorn Balls that have been manufactured by a League-certified craftsman (who will fit them with all modern tracking accoutrements), are legal to purchase. Bootleg Apricorn Balls, not being a finite resource like deadstock retail Balls, are considerably less expensive to obtain. However, they cannot be used in conjunction with Snag Machines, and are fragile compared to retail Balls. Discontinued/Unofficial Technical Machines TMs have been available, first on wax records and later on 8-tracks, cassette tapes, floppy disks, and CDs, since the 1920's, concurrent with the development of the mass-produced pokéball. While many of these discontinued TMs, some of which haven't been produced for decades, are not strictly illegal ''in the sense that the League will look the other way in regards to their sale, they are no longer considered "meta" for use on the League Circuit, and pokémon knowing these Moves (not counting those who can learn them by other means, such as through natural growth or breeding) will not be allowed to compete in official Battles until the offending Attacks are replaced. Some of the most desirable TMs for underground Battle use include Kanto TM31 Soft-Boiled (originally available from 1975-1995), Sinnoh TM76 Stealth Rock (available 2000-2008), the Elemental Punch TMs (Johto TM33, TM41, TM48; available 1986-1999), and Johto TM19 Giga Drain (available 1969-1975; the TM-based version of the Move is weaker in power than the modern iteration that pokémon of today learn. This actually makes it ''more valuable, particuarly for Trainers of Technician breloom and roserade). Unlike modern TMs which can be used indefinitely, vintage TMs self-destructed after a single use; copies of older Moves are thus, like vintage pokéballs above, only available in a limited supply. Modern indestructible copies of some of these old TMs do ''exist, but at a high price, on account of only one mysterious source producing them (who thus owns a monopoly on the market, and can name any price they wish). '''Unofficial Technical Machines' are bootleg TMs that teach Moves never made available through official League channels at any point, such as those normally only offered by Battle Frontier Tutors (Gunk Shot, for example, is an incredibly popular TM of this type). Moves only ''available through black market TMs - not through Tutors, not through discontinued League-made TMs, not from ''anywhere else - are rare (and are definitely not allowed to be used in League Battles), but they do exist; with the most coveted of this type being the nigh-legendary Aura Sphere and V-Create TMs. Their remarkable scarcity comes from the fact that only 20th century Aura-users knew how to create them, and they have never been able to be converted into modern, unbreakable form like most other vintage TMs. Copies of either turn up for sale at a rate of about one per decade, and they always command immense amounts of money when they do. Pokémon Of course, pokémon themselves are a commodity on the black market just like any other, and are bought and sold with impunity. It is not illegal to purchase a pokémon, nor to sell one that one legally owns; there are many ethical and respectable venues availabe to Trainers who wish to sell a pokémon they no longer want or need. Black market pokémon sales differ from these in several major ways: * The pokémon are often ones whom were confiscated from their original Trainers (usually on account of them Training under an expired license, or being subject to a permanent license revocation). It is also not uncommon for the pokémon of a Trainer who dies while out on the road to end up on the black market; this could happen for multiple reasons, such as the pokéballs literally being looted from their corpse, or next of kin not wishing to go through the hassle and paperwork of legal sales during a terrible time. Due to the fact that proprietary League software is needed to reset post-2000 balls to an "ownerless" state, and also to register them to their new owners to make them openable/usable, it is widely rumored along the Circuit that much, if not almost all, of the seized pokémon market is itself run by the League despite being 'illegal' - or that, at the very least, individuals with ready access to League equipment (who would undoubtedly be in League employ, such as Pokémon Center nurses) are aiding and profiting off of this particularly lucrative market. The ownership history of such pokémon is often obfuscated (Original Trainer values being reset to display the purchaser's name and ID Number rather than that of the initial Trainer who'd caught or bred the 'mon, for example), as to not draw attention to things better left undisturbed, and also to make it next to impossible for the original Trainer, or their friends and families, to track down the 'mon's whereabouts. In the cases where the pokémon offered for sale once belonged to somebody particularly famous/powerful/popular/well-regarded (and is thus highly desirable and valuable), black market sellers purveying such 'mon will use coded language and subtle allusion in their advertisements to hint at the originating source in order to draw interest and sales, as they cannot state it directly; scammers will copy this language to try and fool more naive Trainers who are new to the underground economy. Skilled and famous Trainers in their own right recognize quality 'mon when they see them; many are willing to pay top dollar for the chance to own these powerful creatures. ** This, however, is a double-edged sword. It is not at all uncommon for a confiscated pokémon, especially those who once belonged to Trainers who had closely bonded to them, to behave in a disobedient, defiant and uncontrollable fashion towards their new owners (or, on the flipside, they might be so broken, listless and dispirited that they end up performing well below their potential; Blue's floatzel, Lutz, is an example of this category). If their behavior cannot be brought under control, the purchaser will frequently dump them straight back onto the black market in the hopes of recouping at least some of their losses, without mentioning the subordination/underpeformance issues, or the sales history of the pokémon in question (particularly if it has been sold many times for the same reason; it having once belonged to a well-known person now becomes a hindrance and a sales deterrent rather than a desirable quality to be advertised). Such is what happened with Wally's talonflame, Rosette, a black market pokémon who'd been bounced between Trainers so often that by the time he purchased her, she'd cost him no more than a few hundred dollars. * The pokémon were poached. (To be continued~) Category:Lore